Go through the lists and pick out all the virtues and vices that, at a glance, apply to your character. It is suggested that you copy the list over to Word or a Google Doc and delete any that don’t make sense with your character. Once you have the final list of all attributes that apply to your character, come back for the rest of the steps.

Choose, for now, one peak virtue or vice to basically overwhelm all other aspects of the character. This will be the autopilot of your character and will help create drive. This peak virtue or vice is the way your character will handle all basic situations. Try not to pick one of the Seven Deadly Sins (definitely villainous) or the Seven High Virtues (definitely heroic), since those make up the Fourteen Major Attributes and could complicate things significantly for your character.

confidante - someone in whom the central character confides, thus revealing the main character’s personality, thoughts, and intentions. The confidante does not need to be a person.

dynamic character - a character which changes during the course of a story or novel. The change in outlook or character is permanent. Sometimes a dynamic character is called a developing character.

flat character - a character who reveals only one, maybe two, personality traits in a story or novel, and the trait(s) do not change.

foil - a character that is used to enhance another character through contrast. Cinderella’s grace and beauty as opposed to her nasty, self-centered stepsisters is one clear illustration of a foil many may recall from childhood.

"Sometimes I can hear my bones straining under the weight of all the lives I'm not living"

"I love you also means I love you more than anyone loves you, or has loved you, or will love you, and also, I love you in a way that no one loves you, or has loved you, or will love you, and also, I love you in a way that I love no one else, and never have loved anyone else, and never will love anyone else."

"If there is no love in the world, we will make a new world, and we will give it walls, and we will furnish it with soft, red interiors, from the inside out, and give it a knocker that resonates like a diamond falling to a jeweller's felt so that we should never hear it. Love me, because love doesn't exist, and I have tried ev...

Physical Quirks refer to any physical feature that makes a character individualistic. The character might have been born with this trait, or acquired it over the course of his or her life. They are usually the ones other characters notice first. It can be argued that all physical attributes of a character, from the color of his hair to the size of her feet, are quirks.

always gets a sunburn

always stands with his or her hands behind their back, sometimes in an “at ease” position, though he/she was never in the military

Designates the human ability to discriminate among living things (plants, animals) as well as sensitivity to other features of the natural world (clouds, rock configurations). This ability was clearly of value in our evolutionary past as hunters, gatherers, and farmers; it continues to be central in such roles as botanist or chef. It is also speculated that much of our consumer society exploits the naturalist intelligence, which can be mobilized in the discrimination among cars, sneakers, kinds of makeup, and the like.

Musical Intelligence (Musical Smart)

Musical intelligence is the capacity to discern pitch, rhythm, timbre, and tone. This intelligence enables us to recognize, create, reproduce, and reflect on music, as demonstrated by composers, conductor...

When we think of heroes these days, we generally think of those who qualify for heroic bravery.

What is it? This is the kind of bravery that makes a character do crazy dangerous stuff, either to protect others or to advance a cause in which he passionately believes. He’s not a fool. He knows what he’s risking, but he believes the danger is worth it.

Steadfast Bravery

Steadfast bravery isn’t as flashy as heroic bravery (although it exhibits bursts of heroism), but its patient doggedness challenges fate every single day.

What is it? This is the kind of bravery we see from someone who is enduring a bad or dangerous situation day in and day out. A POW, a soldier in the trenches, or an informant ...